The Carroll Area Development Corporation has visited 33 of the primary employers in Carroll County to get input on their recent successes, growth potential and the technologies they use. The companies share how those things impact what they are doing as well as the challenges they have faced over the course of the last year. Executive Director, Shannon Landauer, says the report that is generated from these visits is a key component for retention and growth in Carroll County.
In addition to the Business Retention and Expansion Visit report, Landauer said they have identified a focus for this year’s annual report.
Landauer said they have also had 16 indirect site inquiries from brokers or contacts outside the region. The report details a checklist of prioritized items the CADC has completed in 2016, and will be available on the Carroll Chamber of Commerce website the week of Dec. 19. Landauer said that as the year comes to a close, attendance at the 2016 FabTech trade show last month in Las Vegas helped to set the stage for some growth in 2017.
Two partners of the CADC, through Western Iowa Advantage, attended the most recent Community Venture Network meeting, Dec. 9 in Minnesota. Landauer said there is a focus on entrepreneurial, smaller businesses who generally began in the Minneapolis area, but are open to expansion in rural regions. She said they have worked with a couple of businesses to explore Carroll as an option. These meetings take place three times per year and the next one is scheduled for April 21, 2017.
